Does Love Really Win Out in the End?
by Schatzy14
Summary: When Aang finds Katara and Zuko in the ocean together how will he react? A one shot for now! But willing to write more if its wanted.:) First Fanfic! Constructive Criticism is welcomed! I do not own ATLA
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! This is my first fanfic ever! I hope I don't let anyone down. I'll only continue this story if I get enough reviews! So for now its just a one shot! It is a Zutara!**

**Don't forget to review!:)**

Katara sat on the front steps of Zuko's house on Ember Island. _Why do I feel this way? He's supposed to be the enemy. _She thought about Zuko, her heart fluttering. She noticed that she would watch him train with Aang. Admiring his firebending. His well toned arms glistening with sweat in the afternoon sun.

She was supposed to be in love with Aang…. Right? She thought she loved him, but when he kissed her at the invasion. She just felt…..gross. She felt like she kissed Sokka. And last night when he asked her about the kiss, she just didn't have the heart to tell him that she didn't love him like that. That there was someone else stealing her heart. Though that someone still didn't know that.

Zuko threw a more powerful attack at Aang and the heat jolted her out of her thoughts. "Hey, you guy, how about a break?" she yelled across the courtyard. They ignored her wholeheartedly. Without saying another word, Katara pulled water away from the small stream next to the house. The wave crashed over the two benders. They yelled in disbelief.

"Katara!" Aang exclaimed. He walked over to her soaking wet and gave her a huge hug.

"Aang! No!" He picked her up and twirled her around. The motion almost sickened her. This was not the way a brother should be acting. But Aang didn't know better. A frown replaced the smile on her face as he put her down. She looked over at Zuko and noticed his eyes flicker sadly. She wondered….. _Does he feel something for me?_ No. She shook her head to get the thought out.

Aang was trying to find a towel, while Zuko just bent the water into steam and evaporated it off of his clothes. _That's so hot, _she thought. Aang didn't know how to do that yet. But Zuko was a master and knew most everything except how to conjure lightning. Or did he learn that too?

"Katara, do you want to go to the beach with me?" This surprised her, coming from Zuko. He looked kind of sheepish.

"um, yeah that sounds like fun. I think Sokka and Sukki are down there anyway." She answered shyly. She could feel her face flushing. _Dammit_.

They walked down to the beach together, walking closely. She kept glancing over at him. He was doing the same….. He wondered if she liked him too. He had always admired the fierce waterbender. The way she was so selfless and took care of everything she could. He liked her ever since they were imprisoned together in Ba Sing Se. Since she offered to heal his scar.

They made it to the beach, where Sokka and Sukki were nestled together in the sand. "Wanna go for a swim?" Katara asked him.

"Yeah of course." He said with a smile. He took off his shirt and left his shorts on. Katara almost had an aneurism when she saw his chiseled chest and abs. She had to pick her jaw up off of the ground before he noticed.

Katara focused on taking her clothes off, leaving her in her bindings. Zuko had the same feelings towards her.

They dove into the water and waded out until the water came to their waists. "Want to spar?" Zuko asked with a smirk.

"Well if you want to get your butt whipped, because if you haven't noticed, we're in the ocean. I'll win for sure!" Katara laughed. Well she had him there.

"That's okay; I could go for the challenge!" He replied with a large smirk on his handsome face. He got into a fighting stance. Katara threw water at him from both sides. Zuko deflected it and steam rose from his skin. She sent a water whip towards his face and then another one that hit him in the back of the head. He dodged the first one. He sent fire toward her face and she brought up a wall of water with ease. The wave rushed toward Zuko, hitting him in his broad chest, knocking him backwards into the water. By this time they had moved deeper into the water. Zuko went into the water. He didn't come back up.

"Zuko?!" Katara shouted. She looked around furiously for him, above and below the dark water. He wasn't anywhere. _Uhoh_. She started to get scared. "Zuko!"

Then she felt a tight grip on her left ankle. She was tugged under the water. She writhed and struggled to get away from the unknown enemy. She turned and saw that it was Zuko, smiling and holding onto her foot. He started tickling her. She laughed and tried not to let water into her lungs. He moved up to her bare stomach and tickled her there as well! After a few second he relented, and let her up for air. He popped up right in front of her. They were so close, Katara could feel the heat rolling off of his lean body. She looked up into his eyes, golden and sparkling.

He smiled down at her and leaned down. She slowly stood up on her tiptoes to get closer to his face. The air around her was getting hotter. Assuming it was him she smiled and grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down to meet her lips. His lips were hot yet so soft. She didn't want this kiss to end. Everything that he had done in the past flew out of her mind as he kissed her with the passion that he showed in his bending.

His hands wrapped around her waist and he lifted her up with his strong arms. The kiss ended all too soon for both of them.

"So what does this mean?" Zuko asked. He sounded a little nervous.

"Well, I think I'll have to tell Aang. When he kissed me it was near as good as that!" She said with a large grin. She leaned up and kissed him again, this time with more passion if that was possible.

They were wrenched apart when a wall of water shot up between them. Zuko looked miffed and Katara was shocked. _What? _

Katara looked toward the beach and saw a very angry Avatar looking at the shocked couple in the water. She could see from where they were that he had steam coming out of his ears. _Uhoh. _

Just as Zuko reached for Katara again to hold her hand and stand up to Aang, he was gone. Again. The water split in two and the ground opened up, swallowing Zuko. All Katara heard was his gasp and then shout out as the ground covered him up and the water rushed over.

"ZUKO!" That was the last thing Zuko heard before darkness welcomed him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**So I'm supposed to be writing a massive essay right now:) Oh well I'd rather write this than a stupid English essay. Thank you so much for the reviews! It's more than I thought I would get! You guys are great! And if anyone is feeling froggy I was wondering if anyone would like to be my Beta reader! If not that is totally fine!**

**I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender. :( I wish I did…. That would be cool. Well I hope you like this chapter! Review please!**

Katara swept the clear blue water away from where Zuko disappeared. The water splitting in two sections, but all she saw was ground. She noticed tears streaming down her face as she looked toward the beach.

"Aang! Bring him back!" she screamed across the sea.

"NO! He was trying to hurt you!" the young monk yelled back. He was still so angry about what he had seen. Zuko had pulled Katara under the water and held her there. He heard her scream under the water and knew that something was wrong. When they surfaced and they were standing so close he didn't know what to think. So instead of asking questions he acted. Thinking that Zuko had reverted back to his old ways. "He hasn't changed, Katara! He's still the same cold hearted prince we've always known!"

"No! He's changed! Haven't you figured that out!?" She yelled back at him. She was still standing in the water, a ways away from Aang, though he had started moving into the water. "Now bring him back before he suffocates! He'll die and you won't have your teacher and I won't have the man I love!" She stopped short. Had she really just said that? _I'm in so much trouble._

Aang's face fell from angry to hurt, to angry again. "What! You love him! What about me?" he advanced faster in the water. She couldn't understand why he was so angry. He had only ever kissed her at the invasion. How would he know if he loved her or not?

Katara looked down at her hands. They were shaking. "I'm so sorry Aang, I love you! But not like I love Zuko. I love you like a brother. We've become so close, but not in the way that a relationship should be between two lovers. I feel like when you kissed me, I was kissing Sokka." She finished with a frown.

He finally reached her, seething and seemingly ready for a fight. He wanted to fight for her. He wanted her to love him! He took several calming breaths, remembering his peaceful nature. "I'm sorry I yelled, Katara. I've been trying to deny it as well. When I kissed you at the invasion it didn't feel right. I wanted to think it was love, but it didn't feel anything like it should've." He leaned in and hugged her. She hugged him tightly back.

"I'm so glad you understand Aang!" she said, relieved. "I don't mean to be pushy but can you bring him back now?" She asked.

"Oh! Yeah of course! I hope I put enough air sown there with him!" Aang said, sounding almost embarrassed. Katara started to panic. _What! He might be dead by now! _Aang moved swiftly and brought the water back and the chasm that swallowed Zuko early opened.

It was dark. No one came charging out breathing fire or was there any steam rising. Katara's heart stopped. _Where is he?_ "Aang what did you do! Where is he!" She yelled. She pushed him in the chest. "How dare you! After we resolved everything!" As she pushed him again she saw hit face. Utter shock crossed it. She realized that he didn't have anything to do with this.

"ZUKO!" She yelled across the sea.

"Hey Twinkletoes!" A voice yelled from the beach. "You better learn how to insulate holes in the ground better! Sparky almost drowned thanks to you!" Toph was standing next to a figure on the ground. He was in black pants and he didn't have a shirt on, sitting with his legs crossed in the sand. Katara ran as fast as the water would let her. She forgot she could bend it out of her way. She crashed into Zuko. He huffed as his back hit the sand, with Katara on his chest checking to see if he was okay.

"Oh my god I was so worried!" She gasped. She couldn't believe it. He was okay! Aang made his way to the beach slowly, not wanting to get reprimanded by both all three of his teachers. "What happened to you? How did you get to shore?" Katara was so frazzled that she wasn't acting like herself.

Zuko told them the story about what happened. _ The last thing I saw was blue eyes flashing back into mine. I heard my name being called and then it was dark. I could hear the water above me rushing back into the space above my prison beneath the sea. I tried beating on the roof, trying to break it because I knew if it broke I wouldn't have to swim far to get to the surface. I hit the roof once. Water started rushing in. I started to panic. "Help!" I yelled. "Aang! Katara! Toph! Anyone! Then a tunnel opened up on my left, Toph walking out of it._

_ "Sparky what did I tell you about getting on Aang's bad side?" She asked with her usual sarcasm. "Come on we better get out of here before we both drown." She bended the roof to make it stronger. "We're going to play a trick on those two. They'll think that you were never in here!" Toph said with a maniacal smirk on her face. _

_ "I was just thinking the same thing, Toph." I said with my own smirk gracing my lips. _This is going to be fun._ Toph and I walked back through the tunnel and made our way back to the beach. I got to hear the entire fight between the two benders. How Aang accepted and understood about me and Katara. _

"Yeah Twinkletoes, you're really rusty on your earthbending. I think we need to fit in some more sessions!" Toph said with a smirk on her face. Aang actually looked a little pale when he realized he would be juggling three sessions a day. He knew Katara wouldn't let him live this down, let alone Zuko.

"Oh no" Aang mumbled and started walking back to the beach. Zuko stopped him, after prying Katara off of him.

"Aang. No hard feelings?" Zuko asked nervously. He didn't want there to be any rivalries with the young avatar.

"Yeah, Zuko we're good. Just know if you break her heart I'll break your face." Aang said with a smile. Zuko laughed nervously.

"No problems there my friend." He said with a smile and turned back to Katara. Toph walked back with Aang, walking very close to the airbender. _Hmm_, he thought. _I wonder._

He walked back to Katara and slipped his hands around her waist from behind. "Hey," he said. His voice husky and deep. She turned to look at him and smiled. She turned in his arms so that she was facing him. He leaned down and kissed her, another passion filled kiss. Steam was rising off of his shoulders. The waves of the sea were thrashing wildly. _This is going to be interesting._ They both thought simultaneously. It was going to be a very interesting few days.

On the other side of Ember Island….. "Fan out men. The fugitives are here somewhere. Find them and bring them back. We must return before the comet arrives."


End file.
